As I said: something happened while you upgraded your system. Easiest next step wpold be to delete all Google Earth including remaining config files (system and user level). Install GE again and see if this helps.

what about the following: could it be that in your update/upgrade you did also update the kernel? then your 3D acceleration is gone since you have to reinstall your ATI driver.... then also googleearth will not work....

then kernel update would have also modify xorg.conf otherwise X would not start. That is not how kernel update works.

I am not familiar with google earth, but if the kernel is updated the xorg.conf is changed back to the mesa drivers without any 3D acceleration. So he has again to install the ATI or whatever NVIDIA driver. I understood that he can't use google earth without 3D...

Google Earth works with Mesa.
I am not aware of any kernel script that will revert xorg.conf settings (that is why so many users complain about lost GUI after kernel update), though I don't use suse kernels (prefer patched vanilla), so maybe this changed.

Yes it is true. I have updated/upgraded with smart and apt4suse (synaptic). My kernel (default and sources) have been upgraded as well. And after that GoogleEarth, which has been working before, now does not work at all. I have completely removed it and also ATI fglrx driver, but all in vain. Both installations went smoothly and without problems, but GoogleEarth stops when initializing. Why???

I have the same problem, and before updating googleearth, it worked well (although the last time I used was like a month ago or so).

Reverting back to the older version dos not work also, so it must some update to the system that was done previously.

Some say that it might be due to the firewire (when the firewire is enabled, there is traffic being blocked), but disabling the firewire doesn't make googleearth work either.

Doing an strace results in the following:

I have exactly the same problem. Doing strace shows the following before "freesing":

futex(0x818569c, FUTEX_WAKE, 1) = 0
futex(0x818569c, FUTEX_WAKE, 1) = 0
futex(0x818569c, FUTEX_WAKE, 1) = 0
futex(0x818569c, FUTEX_WAKE, 1) = 0
futex(0x818569c, FUTEX_WAKE, 1) = 0
futex(0x818569c, FUTEX_WAKE, 1) = 0
futex(0x818569c, FUTEX_WAKE, 1) = 0
futex(0x818569c, FUTEX_WAKE, 1) = 0
futex(0x818569c, FUTEX_WAKE, 1) = 0
futex(0x818569c, FUTEX_WAKE, 1) = 0
ioctl(9, 0x4008642a, 0xbfa36418) = 0


Installing works fine, is running that does not work, it blocks on initializing.

I think that after complete reinstallation of my system (SuSE10.1) I will be able to install and run GoogleEarth. No way. It stops right there as it did before - initializing and doing this:

Verifying archive integrity... All good.
Uncompressing Google Earth for GNU/Linux 4.0.1693..................................................................
Installing mimetypes...
Running /usr/bin/update-mime-database /root/.local/share/mime
***
* Updating MIME database in /root/.local/share/mime...
Wrote 2 strings at 20 - 6c
Wrote aliases at 6c - 70
Wrote parents at 70 - 74
Wrote literal globs at 74 - 78
Wrote suffix globs at 78 - d0
Wrote full globs at d0 - d4
Wrote magic at d4 - e0
Wrote namespace list at e0 - e4
***
Installing desktop menu entries...

Riba
That's where it stops when finished anyway.
I just installed it on my SuSE 10.1 and it worked just fine.
You should have an extra entry in K Menu/Internet/More Programs called:
"Google Earth"
My guess is that your 3D excaloration doesn't work or hasn't been activated.

excaloration ?! What is it, and does one activate it?

Did you install all the SUSE updates?

What I was trying to say is that you have to have 3D on your Graphics card enabled.
And yes, I have all the usual updates installed via ZMD.
Mine is a ATI 9600 Radeon using the ATI driver with 3D enabled

Yes I have too ATI 9600 Radeon, Ihave all updates and have ATI fglrx 3D enabled.
It simply is not working. But it worked on the same comp before some upgrades/updates.

Mine is at ATI Radeon 9000 mobile, with ATI driver working well, but google does not work (it used to).

I do not know if it could be 3D problem related, since it used to work ok, unless the problem is of the driver update. I am using the driver 8.28.8, the latest for Radeon 9000.